Last night was the opening of the XIII International Ballet Festival of Miami, under the resilient direction of Pedro Pablo Pena and his unwavering Assistant Director Heriberto Jimenez. This took place at the Manuel Artime Theater, where the International Young Ballet Medal Winners Performance was presented. This program was assembled by Larissa Saveliev, Artistic Director of Youth America Grand Prix, drawing on YAGP’s international network of dance talent in collaboration with the International Ballet Festival of Miami. The program consisted in the usual display of works that are common in the competition circuit, plus some contemporary/modern renderings. The dancers were very young, ages ranging from 11 to 22. The public was very enthusiastic, and they had a persistent ovation at the end. This was the program.

At the end, all the dancers took their turns to dance in a common extended offering of the Corsaire PDD Coda music. It was very cute, and they were very happy when taking bows. Among all the dancers I want to mention two of them that really caught my eye. Tamako Miyazaki (19) La Scala Ballet Academy, Italy/Kaneta Kouno Ballet Academy, Japan and Irlan dos Santos (18). Centro de Danza Rio, Brazil/American Ballet Studio company, NY, USA. Great dancing. Bravo!

Thanks, Cristian, for that lovingly detailed review. Have you made it to any other performances down in Miami?

A couple of days ago, in dirac's Links forum, there was a preview of the Festival's annual performance in West Palm Beach. I've avoided this the past couple of years after a disastrous program played to an almost empty opera house. (They don't do publicity up here.)

It’s only the fourth year that the festival has ventured to Palm Beach County, and already, artistic director Pedro Pablo Pena is tweaking the format. Instead of 15 or so companies in a parade of dance styles and elaborate costumes, he will focus half the program on a single audience favorite.

“This year at the Kravis Center is a special presentation by the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami performing the Act II of ‘Giselle’ with a full corps de ballet,” said festival spokesperson Karen Couty. Principal prima ballerina Hayna Gutierrez and principal dancer Miguel Angel Blanco, both recently defected from Cuba, will return to star as the leading couple.

The festival mounts no fancy productions, nothing to distract from the elaborate dancing.

If I'd known the program I would have gone. Your review of Cuban Classical Ballet has made me curious. And I'd really like to see what Kansas City does with Still Point, a ballet I've never seen, though it feaetured the favorite ballerina of my youth, Melissa Hayden.

Thanks, Cristian, for that lovingly detailed review. Have you made it to any other performances down in Miami?(...) Was anyone at the Kravis? What was it like?

I couldn't go to the Kravis, due to tight work schedule . I would have loved to go and see Hayna Gutierrez doing Giselle. I'm very curious as why isn't she still signed with any major ballet company, neither her partner Blanco-(their pal Domitro recently signed as a Principal with SFB). Anyway, I'm planning to go to tonight's performance at the Carnival Center, "The Etoiles Grand Gala",after work. The recipient of this year’s “ A Life for Dance” Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given every year to a Grand Star, is Frederick Franklin, as a well deserved homage to his amazing life as a dancer, choreographer, ballet director and premier danseur with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Here are some of the companies participating: